Casey Vs The Mother
by Basched
Summary: Very late fic for Jellie shippers birthday challenge. A parent's call on a birthday isn't always the best thing in the world. JELLIE. REVISED.


_Author's Note: This was originally written for the J/Ellie shipper's birthday challenge. It was late then...but now I've Revised it. I had to make some necessary changes, which I hope doesn't spoil it. Thanks for those who read the original and reviewed. Always appreciated. _

_**Casey Vs The Mother**_

"Are you still there, young man?! I haven't heard you say anything for over fifteen minutes! You know, you could say something rather than be like your father and grunt in response! It's not a pleasant sound to hear and it doesn't make you come across as the polite and charming man I know you are. But the military does these things to people. They've hardened you…made you strong, but that doesn't mean you have to be completely stone. You do have emotions don't you?"

"I do."

"Good! It doesn't hurt to smile more often. You'll get less wrinkles! Now! Tell me more news…have you met anyone new yet? It pains me to know that another year has gone by and you still haven't gotten a nice girlfriend…someone you can marry and move in with. Time is getting on, you're not getting younger and I'm certainly not! Am I ever going to be a grandparent? Will I ever have a little grandchild in my arms or will I go to my grave known just as a General's wife and a loving mother…not a loving grandmother? I couldn't bare that! What happened to that lovely woman I saw in that picture with you? Ilsa? She was so pretty! Oh no...I remember you telling me about it. I understand...I remember your father making it very clear throughout our marriage what the job entailed and it wasn't easy bringing you and your brother up on my own whilst your father was away. But this is you and family I'm talking about! Especially now, you can make time for all this! Surely there must be one woman you like?! I know you have your little temper tantrums and you're not the easiest person to get a long with…again you're so much like your father….but you're not unattractive! You're handsome and tall with good bone structure, women like that about men. You have a lovely smile…when you do use it!"

"Mother…"

"I know I'm babbling dear, but I need to say them. I don't see you or hear from you as often as I would like and this time must be so hard for you. You don't talk to me any more, I need you to open up, darling. What is it you're doing now?"

"Its…"

"Oh! I have spoken with Mrs Arnold down the road and her daughter is single! Do you want me to set you up on a date with her? She is so beautiful and a great cook! You need a good woman who can cook and fuss over you and Miranda Arnold would do that! Do you remember when you and your brother used to call round her house for those cookies she baked? I could ask her to send you some, if you'd like."

"Mother…I don't need you to ask Miranda for cookies, nor do I need a date."

For the first time since he had picked up the phone, the first time in over an hour, there was silence on the other end. He thought it could be that his mother was catching her breath, or his father was now telling her to stop talking so much, but there was nothing. There was no sound of a deep gravely voice shouting from the lounge and yet his mother was still remaining quiet.

Every year, she phoned him on his birthday. However, her calls had been more frequent and he knew why. He told what he could of his current status, but even then that was too much because a normal two and a half hour phone conversation ended up being a five hour lecture, telling off and a lot of crying. This phone conversation now was dragging on some.

He loved his mother dearly, yet she did fuss. Too much so.

"Mother? Are you there?"

"Yes dear. Sorry….I was a little overcome. You have got someone haven't you?! I can tell! I'm right aren't I? You have finally met a new woman?"

There was an excited squeal that made John Casey take his mobile away from his ear and hold it at arms length. There was also the sound of laughing, but that was not the issue right now. He had landed himself in it by not denying it straight away, now the barrage of questions and comments were going to come back at him faster than before.

"What's her name?! What's she like? How did you two meet? How long have you been going out with her? Do you think she's the one? Is she the one? Will you be marrying her at all? Soon? Is she American? I wouldn't object if she wasn't, you know that, any woman looking after my little boy would be music to my ears! Are you practicing safe sex?!"

"Mother!"

"Glynis!!!" Casey heard his father's roar in the back round. "Don't ask your son things like that!"

"You're right! I don't want to know the details of your physical relationship thankyou...a mother just needs to know that you're being safe! Well, you don't need birth control if you're going to have children with this new woman of yours! Oh! Does she want children? Can she have children? Please say that she can, it would be absolutely heart wrenching if the poor lady is unable to have babies."

Casey shook his head. This was his mother and although she talked a lot, there was no getting away from that once a phone conversation started. Sometimes John wondered why his father married Glynis Bower. His father was so quiet, strong and very much the stereotypical General in the Marine Corps, but Casey's mother was different. She was and always had been a soldier's wife, dutifully looking after the family home without complaint and he had never heard her moan about it. She was proud and happy to have looked after her boys, cook and clean for them, but she also liked to talk.

The laughing was muffled now, but again he wasn't focusing on that. He was feeling the sensation of a headache coming on and he knew it was going to get worse when his mother carried on talking.

"So?"

"Pardon?" Casey's eyes widened at the one word his mother said.

"Who is she?!"

"Mother, there isn't…."

There was a jolt in his back along with the sound of a heavy sigh on the other end of the line.

"Don't lie to me young man!"

"I'm not…it's just that I wouldn't get too excited about it. We've only just met and…."

"Please tell me its not just a fling! That's all you and your brother ever seem to have! Why can't you connect with her, get to know her and be a couple! Have a relationship, do what couples do! Go out to dinner with her and take her to nice places, romance a woman! Really…you're a grown man, surely you have time for romance in your life. Yes, I know you're really "busy" and I know how difficult it is for you, you've had a lot happen to you...but life isn't life unless you make time for it and put in the effort. Your father always said that if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything!"

"I know, mother…but I'm not rushing into things." John rubbed at his aching forehead and leaned forward to rest his arms on his knees. "There are complications..."

"You're making excuses, boy! Problems can be solved and most of the time they're easily dealt with if you stop and think about them logically! I know I am a little zealous when it comes to my sons and I know I pressurise you both with talk of children, but its important to me! I want to see my boys happy."

"I am happy, mother."

"You don't sound it. It's your birthday, boy! You should be!"

"I am. Really, I am. Please don't worry about me, I am forty eight now."

"No matter what age you are...you will always be my little boy! So....tell me all about this new woman!"

He wanted to explain everything, more than anything he wished he could tell his mother the piece of news she so desperately needed to hear, but instead he cleared his throat.

"Yes...I have a new woman in my life, mother. We've been courting..." There was another snigger. "For sometime now."

The high pitched cry made Casey take the phone away from his ear again. The laughing was back, sniggering and teasing.

"I don't understand why you felt the need to keep this piece of news from us both, that you have a new lady in your life. But I suppose I can't expect you to keep me apprised of what's going on in your life. I would have liked you to have called me…I could have helped you with your new relationship as I have helped you with your problems...even your father has. We're you're parents, that's what we're here for."

"I know….I'm sorry. Next time I will tell you."

"How your father didn't know about all this in the beginning, is beyond me! I think his old wound is playing up again, he's terribly grouchy! But he always has been...you two are typical father and son! Now, back to the important matters…who is this woman? You do like her, don't you?"

"Yes….I do."

"Do you love her?"

"Yes. I think so."

"Oh! Tell me more!"

He was going to have to. But the buzzing sound from his phone indicated an incoming call. He looked at the screen and saw the call was from Sarah Walker. It could be about the mission.

"Mother, I've got another call coming through, I need to take it."

"Its not one of your buddies phoning up again with an excuse to cut our conversations short is it?"

Short? This call was already coming up on two hours. Sarah had rung off.

"No. I would never…"

"What did I say about lying? I know that you and Porky arranged this in the past, I'm not stupid. Oh you and Edward were such trouble makers when you were young...."

"Sorry. I never meant to…look, mother it's really important. I will have to call you back."

Glynis sighed.

"Very well. Make sure that you do. I want to hear all about your new lady."

"I promise."

"Okay. Happy birthday darling. I love you so much, always remember that."

"I will. I love you too."

His mother smacked kisses to him down the phone before hanging up and when it went all quiet, Casey was finally able to relax and he fell backwards onto his bed. He let out a huge relieving sigh and ran his hands through his sweat drenched hair. It felt good to be able to breathe again.

His phone buzzed as a text message came through.

John sat back up, looked at the screen on his phone and opened the message. It was from Sarah. It was about the mission. The secret one.

"**Jeremy and Charles Carmicheal are set up for the meet. 1500 hours tomorrow."**

Great. It wasn't a mission he was looking forward to, because going "deep deep" undercover with Chuck never went as smoothly as it always did and to make matters even worse they were both going as father and son. The headache wasn't going to go away.

Casey smiled when he turned round.

Perhaps it might.

He got onto to his hands and knees and crawled slowly back up the bed before slipping beneath the covers and entangling himself with the most beautiful woman he had ever met. The woman, who he had admitted to his mother, he loved. The woman who made his life have a purpose.

"John? Are you okay?"

Her soft hand stroked down his face and the sensation caused his eyes to flutter shut and a huge content growl murmured from his lips.

"I'm fine." Casey kissed a light peck against her palm and opened his eyes. "You on the other hand….you're in trouble."

"What?!" Ellie tried to look surprised, but that crafty seductive smile simply wouldn't fade away.

"The laughing and kicking me….you have to be punished."

"Oh really?!"

Her laughter spurred him on and he was just about to pounce upon her, when the sound of his phone at the foot of the bed went off. Ellie squealed with fiendish laughter and slipped out of his hold, both of them lunged for the phone, but she was quicker. Her slender hand swooped it off the covers and she beamed at the picture of the elderly lady smiling back at her.

"It's your mum!"

"Don't answer it! Ellie….I'm warning you!"

Eleanor Bartowski laughed again and then pressed the pad to take the call. The look of pure horror on Casey's face made her laugh even more.

"Hello, John Casey's phone."

"Hang up!" he hissed.

"Yes. He's here, he's just getting dressed."

"Give me the phone!" He ordered, knowing full well she would ignore it. She did and then she decided to pace up and down at the end of the bed, provocatively and making sure that the sight of her nakedness was making him even more uncomfortable.

If his mother knew that Ellie was naked whilst talking to her, she would probably have a heart attack.

"I've known John for over three years…but yes…we've just started to date. Aw, that's so sweet. Thank you! My name is Ellie….I'm a Doctor."

Casey heard the excited shrill reply of "A doctor?!?!" from his mother. Ellie had to hold the phone away at that, but whereas the older woman's often deafening cries made both her sons cringe, Ellie's smile beamed even wider. She was genuinely pleased to be talking to her.

"Ellie...give me the phone...please?!"

He hated to resort to begging, but it was the only option left.

It didn't work. Eleanor just winked at him and then walked away talking to his mother as if the two of them had been long lost friends.

Her swaying hips and wiggling bottom was too much for Casey. He jumped out of bed and stormed right over to her, wrapping one large arm around her middle whilst his other hand made a grab for the phone. Ellie squirmed in his grasp.

"Mrs Casey?...oh sorry....of course....I do forget that sometimes. I think that sounds a lovely idea! Would you let me cook? Yes...he loves my cooking, he cant get enough of it."

"Ellie! This is not funny!" John hissed in her ear. "Give me the phone."

Ellie giggled when she leaned into him. It was too much. This now meant business.

Casey grabbed her even tighter and lifted her up off her feet, causing her to scream quite suddenly before erupting into excited fits of laughter. With his other hand, John snatched the phone and after throwing Ellie onto the bed he took the risk of quickly saying goodbye to his mother.

"I will call you back! Now is not the time, mum. Okay? Talk soon."

He threw the phone away across the room and then knelt of the end of the bed to grab Ellie's foot.

"You do realise what you've done….don't you?" he snarled.

"Hmmmm….yes."

"You're going to pay for that."

"I hope so!"

With the deepest and sexiest growl ever to rumble from within his chest, he dragged Ellie over to him and wrapped her legs around his waist. The smile, the fiendish look and hope in her eyes, this was a different side of Eleanor Bartowski and not many people got to see it.

"Ms Bartowski…you are really….really….going to pay."

"Sounds like fun!" she said, biting her lip and stretching her arms above her head.

With a wanting chuckle, Casey leaned down and gently rested his body on top of her hers. His hands brushed her hair away from her face before cupping at her cheeks and then he kissed her tenderly, softly and lovingly, lulling her into a false sense of security. He laughed again and his hand snaked down between them.

Her scream was so loud, it caused Casey's flip to be misjudged, and so the couple fell off the side of the bed with an almighty thud. Neither of them cared about the awkward positioning they had landed in, it only made the ensuing activities much more fun.

"Happy birthday." Ellie whispered in his ear.

"Oh yeah. This is the best birthday of my life."

**

* * *

**

It was quiet. Too quiet.

The retired General leaned forward in his recliner and caught a glimpse of his wife sitting in the hallway. She wasn't talking but he knew she hadn't hung up the phone. She was, however looking extremely pale and her white knuckles were straining hard into the folds of her dress.

"Glynis? What are you doing, dear?"

He got up and walked over to her. Her eyes were wide with horror and when James came closer he could hear some noises on the other side. He pried the phone out of his wife's shaking hand and put the phone to his ear.

"Oh dear God!" James slammed the receiver down and took his wife in his arms, where he began to gently hug and caress her. "Doesn't that boy know how to hang up a phone?!"

THE END.


End file.
